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Ottolenghi's Chickpea Sauté with Greek Yogurt

Good cookbooks provide instruction and inspiration, but some of my favourites have an additional benefit — beautifully crafted photographs that illustrate the wonders and creativity of food. One of the finest collections of mouth-watering food photographs in my library is contained in Plenty by Yotam Ottolenghi, a London chef and restauranteur with very inventive styles of cooking and presentation. I especially respect a master chef who pays more than just lip service to vegetarian cooking — the subtitle of the book is "Vibrant Vegetable Recipes", which includes legumes, grains, eggs and dairy. I can highly recommend this cookbook for more than just the pictures.

The following is a minor adaptation of one of Ottolenghi's more colourful and nourishing recipes. I've kicked up the heat a little with some dried red chili flakes, but the real attractions of this dish are the fragrance and sounds of caraway seeds and carrots sizzling in hot oil, the warm anise-like flavour of the seeds permeating the vegetables, and the zesty tang of lemon juice and a large dollop of Greek yogurt on top. By the way, I urge you to buy a whole-fat Greek yogurt (if you are not making your own) and avoid the no-fat varieties — without the milk fat, a Greek yogurt is just flat.

Rinse the chickpeas under cold running water and soak 8 hours or overnight under several inches of cold water. Drain and rinse the soaked chickpeas, then place in a medium saucepan and cover with several inches of fresh water. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 1 to 1 1/2 hours or until the chickpeas are tender. Drain and set aside.

Prepare the Swiss chard by separating the stems from the leaves. Chop the stems into bite-size pieces and chop the leaves coarsely. Fill a large saucepan with plenty of water, bring to a boil, and blanch the stems for 2 minutes. Add the leaves and cook for 2 more minutes, then remove from heat and drain. Rinse the chard under cold running water and squeeze dry. Set aside.

Heat a large saucepan or wok over medium heat. When hot, add the olive oil, wait a few moments, then swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Add the carrots and caraway seeds, and sauté for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the seeds from sticking. Stir in the dried red chili flakes, and continue to sauté for another 30 seconds. Now stir in the chickpeas and chard, and cook for 5 more minutes to warm the ingredients, stirring occasionally.

Stir in the garlic, lemon juice, mint and cilantro or parsley, and remove from heat. Season with salt and black pepper to taste.

Mix the Greek yogurt, olive oil, and salt and black pepper to taste in a small bowl. Serve the chickpeas hot or warm on plates with a generous dollop of the yogurt mixture on top. Sprinkle with more black pepper if desired.

Based in London, Ontario, a veteran vegetarian for 23 years serves up a collection of delicious culinary creations from her kitchen, with an emphasis on spicy Indian dishes and whole foods. If you want to know what sensible vegetarians eat, Lisa's Kitchen is the place to be.